The flags at the Embassy and at other American facilities around the world will fly at half mast today in commemoration of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Since I’m in transit today, what follows is a revised version of my post from December 7, 2011.

The first seconds of the attack on Pearl Harbor, recorded from an enemy fighter.

At 7:55 a.m. on a quiet Sunday morning 71 years ago today, waves of more than 350 hostile fighter, bomber, and torpedo planes darkened the dawn skies over Oahu in a surprise attack designed to cripple America’s defenses and advance a rival power’s aggressive expansion through the Pacific. No declaration of war had been issued.

On the rise and in need of resources to advance its regional objectives, Japan had already invaded Manchuria, China, and French Indochina. It was starting to push into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies to insure control of supplies of oil, minerals, and other resources needed to fuel its ongoing development.

USS Shaw explodes after being struck at the start of the attack.

Tokyo mistakenly believed that the United States would declare war when Japan launched its long-planned invasion of Great Britain’s Southeast Asian colonies. The preemptive attack by a Japanese aircraft carrier strike force on Pearl Harbor, home of the US Pacific fleet, was intended to cripple America’s ability to defend its Pacific neighbors.

While Pearl Harbor was burning, Japanese military forces attacked simultaneously in multiple other locations across the Pacific region. Guam, Wake Island, Manila, and Singapore were bombed. Malaya, Thailand, and the Philippines were invaded. Shanghai was seized. Japanese troops pushed toward Hong Kong and Burma. All the same day.

USS Arizona sinks in Pearl Harbor, taking 1,177 young Americans to their deaths.

In Pearl Harbor that day 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,247 were wounded. On American soil. While the nation was at peace. Eighteen American ships and approximately 340 American aircraft were destroyed or severely damaged.

In Washington, Japanese envoys arrived at the State Department after the attack had begun, to deliver a document from Tokyo criticizing the United States for not accommodating Japan’s demands in ongoing bilateral discussions. A declaration of war by Japan was not delivered until the next day.

USS California sinks in Pearl Harbor.

The morning of December 8th, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed an emergency joint session of the American Congress, beginning with one of the most iconic sentences uttered in American history: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

The address was broadcast live by radio to the American people. Twenty-one minutes after President Roosevelt finished speaking, the Senate voted 82-0 to declare war on Japan. Twelve minutes later, the House of Representatives concurred by a vote of 388-1. (The lone dissenting vote was cast by Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana.)

President Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress on Dec. 8, 1941.

A strong streak of isolationism has always run through the American psyche, including as war raged elsewhere during 1940 and 1941. The America First Committee and other non-interventionist groups remained strong despite growing anxiety over the hegemonic waves sweeping Europe and East Asia. The Roosevelt Administration had begun taking economic steps to aid beseiged Britain and the Republic of China, but strong majorities of the population and elected officials still opposed entering foreign wars.

The attack on Pearl Harbor changed all that. Americans were shocked — forever, I would argue — out of our belief that the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans provide a safe buffer from the troubles and ills of the rest of the world. In a way that few other events have, Pearl Harbor altered the course of American thinking, history, society, and politics.

Lowering the Embassy flag.

For the next several years we and our friends will commemorate the 70th and 75th anniversaries of the terrible events of that era that shattered societies and changed the world.

Since December 7th last year we at American Mission New Zealand have focused on the joint service, shared sacrifice, and common values that bound Kiwis and Americans so tightly together during the War, and which still provide the bedrock on which our relationship stands today.

We continue the Septuagennial process by planning for several important 2013 commemorations including the 70th anniversary of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s iconic island-hop tour at the height of the Pacific War which brought her to New Zealand for a week.

Today, though, is about remembering Pearl Harbor, honoring those killed that Sunday in 1941, revisiting the lasting lessons learned, and drawing strength from how friends pulled together and persisted through even the darkest of days.

As President Obama noted in his Proclamation, “We pay solemn tribute to America’s sons and daughters who made the ultimate sacrifice at Oahu. As we do, let us also reaffirm that their legacy will always burn bright — whether in the memory of those who knew them, the spirit of service that guides our men and women in uniform today, or the heart of the country they kept strong and free.”

While digging through archives to prepare for this year’s 70th anniversary commemorations we uncovered a treasure trove of photos, letters, and other historical material from the 1940’s. I thought I’d share today a couple of photos related to a 70th anniversary that we will be commemorating next year.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reviews Marines on Tutuila in American Samoa.

As a back-and-forth battle with the invaders continued in the South Pacific during August and September 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt made a goodwill trip through the region to raise morale, rally the troops, and thank our allies for their steadfastness and fortitude. In order to address military and political opposition to the tour, she traveled in a private capacity as a representative of the Red Cross, inspecting the group’s facilities in battle zones.

Her trip quickly became legendary. Over the course of five weeks she made more than 20 stops, traveling in a small airplane without escort in order to avoid complicating military operations. In places she braved rugged terrain, thick jungles, malaria, and risk of attack to see as many rank-and-file servicemen and women as possible, speaking to more than 400,000 personnel before returning home. Her strength, courage, patience, warmth, and good humor won over skeptics along the way, including the irascible Admiral Halsey.

Mrs. Roosevelt on a parade ground in Pago Pago.

For obvious reasons the trip was a closely guarded secret, and Mrs. Roosevelt often landed without advance notice. In one of my favorite of her diary entries she recorded the reaction when she stepped off the plane on Guadalcanal: “At first there was complete surprise on the faces of the men, and then one boy in stentorian tones said, ‘Gosh, there’s Eleanor.’”

From August 27 through September 2, 1943, the First Lady toured facilities here in New Zealand, spending time in Auckland, Rotorua, and Wellington. She met with American and New Zealand troops, support personnel, and civilians. She visited marae, spent extensive time with wounded soldiers, and engaged with women’s groups and other NGOs.

The First Lady is greeted in Rotorua.

Next year, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the dates that she was actually here, we will celebrate her trip, her passion, and her accomplishments as First Lady. Among other things, we’ll draw on the daily “My Day” newspaper column that she wrote as a very public diary to chronicle her activities, including while she was in New Zealand. But more about all that later.

For now, I just wanted to share the two photos that we uncovered from her stop on Tutuila, as well as the sentiment she expressed after her return to Washington: “The Pacific trip left a mark from which I will never be free.”

As I previewed at the end of my prior post, we had another wonderful Independence Day reception yesterday evening to commemorate both the 236th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence and the 70th anniversary of the arrival of U.S. servicemen and women in New Zealand after the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific. This time we celebrated at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in the Wigram district of Christchurch.

The Marine Band played. I discreetly entered the hall in a vintage American jeep. We sang the national anthems and acknowledged the World War II veterans among us. Mayor Bob Parker and I offered remarks on the warm and vibrant state of relations between the people of New Zealand and America. And more than 200 guests enjoyed an evening of fine wine, good food, great conversation, and swing dancing.

The grand hall at the Royal NZ Air Force Museum as the reception just starts.

The Marine Band swing unit entertains our guests.

We decorated the hall with photos of American servicemen in NZ in the 1940s.

Present-day Marines talking with WWII Marine Harry Oliver, now living in Christchurch.

Riding into the hall and to the podium in a vintage American jeep.

The singing of the Star-Spangled Banner.

During the singing of God Defend New Zealand.

Minister Gerry Brownlee (center) and other guests listen as I address the crowd.

Mayor Bob Parker offers remarks on behalf of the People of Christchurch.

The Mayor and I are joined by World War II vets (left to right) Dr Alan Roberts (NZ), Harry Oliver (USMC), and Claude Bohn (USMC) for the toasts.

University students enjoying the reception.

Two Marines charm a guest.

A photo of American servicemen enjoying a night at Majestic Cabaret in 1942 Wellington.

Like our prior two Independence Day receptions this year in Wellington and Auckland, it was a wonderful night of spirited conversation, warm memories of prior service and sacrifice, and forward-looking appreciation of the dynamic, warm, impactful, expanding partnership between our people and our countries. I wasn’t at all surprised. Family gatherings are always special occasions.

This morning a National Commemoration ceremony was held at the National War Memorial on Buckle Street to mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of U.S. Marines in New Zealand during World War II. At the proceedings the Governor-General, His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honorable Sir Jerry Mateparae, read an entry from the diary of U.S. Marine Private Bob Hatch. Penned 70 years ago today, the entry recounts young Private Hatch’s his first day in Wellington after stepping off the USS Wakefield :

*  *  *

“Most of us had heard the scuttlebutt and had a fair idea where we were going … New Zealand.  Of course we weren’t sure until we actually tied up to the wharf.  Tying up didn’t take long but there was no liberty.  In fact, we could not even get off the ship.  So there we were as usual, just standing around.

“We were awful sick of the sea so dry land was sure good to look at.  It reminded me of southern California with the mountains meeting the sea.  It made some of us a little bit homesick too.  It looked like a friendly country; there was a band down on the dock to meet us.  We’d seen their blue uniforms around some of our flying fields in the States so we knew it was the band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

USS Wakefield arrives at King’s Wharf on June 14, 1942.

“At last we got a break – ‘all shore’.  Boy did real solid land feel good.  You can beat your bottom dollar it did.  War or no war we must have music, and our band was amongst the first ashore.  Officers and men, we all in the same boat or rather getting off the same boat, and all curious to see what kind of advanced base we had come to.  We had a lot of queer ideas as to what New Zealand would be like.

“Imagine our surprise when a milk wagon came around.  We hadn’t tasted fresh milk since we left the States.  Boy did it taste good.  It wasn’t long before our Sergeant was bellowing, ‘Fall in’, and we were off again, without even getting a good look at town.  We were heading for the railroad station.

US Marines in transit to Paekakariki by train after landing in Wellington.

“These New Zealanders certainly did things right.  When we got off the train there was a band again and we started our march to camp just like a big parade.  We were out in the country but of course the usual kids were present to look us over and yell a few words of welcome.  It was sort of nice too.  Soon we were into camp.  Yup, and old glory was there too, flying proudly overhead.  I guess there isn’t anything any of us wouldn’t do to keep it flying.”

*  *  *

Poignant in their simplicity, those were the words of an “ordinary” young man called upon to do extraordinary things halfway around the world from home. Shortly after arriving in New Zealand Private Hatch shipped out to combat in the South Pacific, where he was wounded.

In attendance at this morning’s ceremony in addition to the Governor-General were Prime Minister John Key, Leader of the Opposition David Shearer, Minister of Defence Dr. Jonathan Coleman, Secretary of Defence John McKinnon, Chief of the Defence Force Lt. General Rhys Jones, Chair of the Greater Wellington Regional Council Fran Wilde, Mayor of Kapiti Jenny Rowan, Deputy Mayor of Wellington Ian McKinnon, and other dignitaries.

I represented the United States along with Lieutenant General Duane D. Thiessen (Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific), Major General Ronald Bailey (Commanding Officer of 1st Marine Division, the Division that landed in Wellington 70 years ago today), and World War II veteran Claude Bohn.

U.S. Marines from New Zealand storm ashore at Guadalcanal in the first Allied counter-offensive of the Pacific war. More than 7,000 Marines died there.

As always at memorials, I found particularly moving the recitation of The Ode, adapted from the fourth stanza of Lawrence Binyon’s poem, ”For the Fallen”:

E kore ratou e koroheketia
Penei i a tatou kua mahue nei
E kore hoki ratou e ngoikore
Ahakoa pehea i nga ahuatanga o te wa.
I te hekenga atu o te ra
Tae noa ki te aranga mai i te ata
Ka maumahara tonu tatou ki a ratou.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.